Minnesota Local Government Boundaries -- An Initiative to Support The National Map and NSDI

The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), working in
close partnership with other state agencies and local governmental
units, designed and implemented the first tangible stages of a
collaborative and streamlined approach to manage and maintain
authoritative, accurate, current and nonredundant municipal and
township boundary data statewide. Existing legislative and
administrative review requirements provide incentives to assure that
this process is both enduring and capable of evolving. The project
builds upon previous work of MnGeo and its partners, and documents the
best practices, agreements, and technical characteristics required to
ensure that results can be sustained over time and that will serve as a
guide to extending the process to other NSDI partners. Current data are
now being updated on a regular cycle and published through web services
that support The National Map and other national geospatial
programs. This project complements other data integration projects
guided by MnGeo, which has statutory authority to coordinate GIS
efforts in Minnesota. The project team is encouraged that progress in
developing a more universally accepted boundary process in Minnesota
will be further accelerated through the development of a statewide
parcel business plan supported through an ongoing Cooperative Agreement
Program Project (#G11AC20048).